Council Funds: Osun Govt Contests Jurisdiction Of Abuja Court

A ineligible conflict began yesterday astatine the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the Osun State authorities challenging the transportation of a suit from the Osogbo Division of the tribunal to the Abuja.

The suit seeks to restrain the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from opening accounts for the chairmen elected connected the level of the All Progressives Congress (APC) successful 2022, who the authorities authorities argued had been sacked by the aforesaid Federal High Court.

When the substance came up, Mr Musibau Adetunbi (SAN) representing the Osun State attorney-general told Justice Emeka Nwite that the plaintiff filed 2 motions connected announcement challenging the jurisdiction of the Abuja tribunal to perceive the suit transferred from the Osogbo, Osun State part of the Federal High Court connected the orders of the main justice (CJ) of the court, Justice John Tsoho.

According to the motion, the plaintiff seeks the mounting speech of the fiat said to person been fixed astatine the lawsuit of the CJ contained successful a missive dated August 21 signed by his idiosyncratic assistant, Joshua Ibrahim.

He besides wants an bid mounting speech the directive of the CJ that the substance beryllium heard by a abrogation justice and that the tribunal should diminution jurisdiction to perceive the substance during its yearly abrogation and returning of the lawsuit record backmost to the Osogbo judicial part of the Federal High Court.

Adetunbi said the 2nd question connected notice, was for the discontinuance of the lawsuit against the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and curate of justice, who is the 3rd suspect successful the suit, which has the CBN and accountant-general of the federation arsenic the 1st and 2nd defendants.

The question said “Sequel to the affidavit of urgency filed by the AGF connected August 13, it became evident that helium is consenting and astatine the verge of paying the allocation of the Constituent Local Government Councils of the plaintiff’s authorities to the amerciable and sacked APC Chairmen and Councilors.

“Consequent connected the above, the plaintiff is desirous of initiating and prosecuting a caller suit against the 3rd suspect (AGF) astatine the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“That, immoderate of the facts, questions and issues to beryllium tabled astatine the apex tribunal against the AGF would beryllium identical to the facts, questions and issues earlier the proceedings tribunal successful the instant suit and hence, the request to discontinue the suit against him.”

In different question connected announcement filed connected August 26, the plaintiff prayed the tribunal for an bid staying further proceedings successful the suit pending the proceeding and determination of the suit numbered SC/CV/773/2025 betwixt the Attorney General of Osun State and the AGF astatine the Supreme Court.

One of the grounds of the question is that “the AGF is not consenting to obey, abide by oregon comply with valid and subsisting determination of the Court of Appeal but alternatively caused an affidavit of urgency to beryllium filed earlier the tribunal connected August 13.”

The plaintiff said, “The AGF’s missive of August 26 and the affidavit of urgency amusement that helium is consenting and astatine the verge of paying the allocation of the Constituents Local Government Councils of the plaintiff authorities to amerciable and sacked APC Chairmen and Councillors.”

According to the plaintiff, “the brazen determination of the AGF necessitated him to attack the Supreme Court to find the propriety oregon different of the Federation’s enactment successful paying statutory allocation of the Local Government Councils successful Osun authorities to officials of the APC, who person been removed from bureau by a subsisting judgement of the proceedings tribunal which was affirmed by the Court of Appeal successful presumption of the presumption of the AGF successful the affidavit of urgency that the purported APC elected Chairmen and Councilors are the ones moving the affairs of the Local Government Councils successful Osun and volition beryllium paid the said allocation, among others.”

According to the counsel to the plaintiff, “all the processes person been duly served connected the defendants” a presumption which counsel to the AGF, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN disputed, saying that, helium had not been served with the question connected announcement for the discontinuance of the plaintiff’s lawsuit against his client.

Olujimi, however, said adjacent if the announcement of discontinuance was duly served connected him, it could not halt the proceedings of the time until the tribunal made an bid to that effect and added that specified announcement indispensable beryllium attached with an affidavit of service.

Counsel to the CBN, Dr. Muritala Abdulrasheed, SAN informed the tribunal that the AGF wrote to the Chief Judge for the substance to beryllium heard expeditiously by a abrogation judge.

He told the Court that the archetypal Defendant filed 7 processes challenging the plaintiff’s question for enactment of proceedings, and against the question challenging the administrative powerfulness of the CJ to transportation the substance from Osun to Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, among others.

On his part, ...